differences between ncl & carnival

[litig8rij]

greetings --

i'm sailing on my second cruise this dec on the ecstacy out of galveston, 23 - 27 december to cozumel with DH & two sons. my first cruise was in october 1999 on the norway to cozumel & ocho rios, jamaica -- had no kidlets with us then. that was a jazz cruise (don't know if they even have those anymore). anywho, we had a suite on ncl and now have a cat. 12 on the ecstacy. what kinds of differences should i be prepared for, in cabin, in atmosphere, in service, etc.

y'all are so informative on this message board. any info will be truly appreciated!!

[PINEVIEW01]

Based on the Carnival vs. RCL, I also like to know if they leave the pools open all night?